Advertisement

Japan volcano death toll rises to 48

AAP

AAP

A dozen more bodies have been found by rescuers on the peak of a Japanese volcano that erupted at the weekend, raising the death toll to 48.

The figure makes the eruption of Mount Ontake, which was packed with hikers when it burst angrily to life on Saturday, the worst volcanic disaster in Japan for almost 90 years.

Up until Sunday 36 bodies had been found, but many of these remained on the ruptured mountain as toxic gas and the risk of further eruptions forced emergency workers to suspend operations.

Ash cloud was ‘hot, asphyxiating atmosphere’
Australian flag burning ‘reprehensible’

The grim news of more deaths on Wednesday came after media reports earlier suggested as many as 20 people remained unaccounted for, with an area of the volcano still spewing steam and gas.

Some of the around 1,000 troops, police and firefighters combing the volcano succeeded in bringing down 14 more of the bodies that were discovered on Sunday, with another 10 still there.

An official at Nagano prefecture’s crisis management office said helicopters had been used to ferry the dead from the mountain, whose pockmarked lunarscape bears witness to the huge volume of ask and rocks flung from the volcano.

“We believe there are more people still missing, but we don’t know how many they are,” he added.

Broadcaster NHK said earlier in the day rescuers had seen more bodies that they had not yet been able to access.

Hiking is a hugely popular pastime in Japan, with mountain trails promoted by tourism officials who ask walkers to sign in when they begin their trek and sign out again when they finish.

But a local tourism association told the Asahi Shimbun that usually only 10 to 20 per cent of hikers register before entering the mountains in high season.

The report said 327 hikers had registered their presence on Mount Ontake at the time of the eruption.

AAP

Mount Ontake erupts. Photo: AAP

Nagano prefecture has posted a notice on its website calling for information on hikers on the list.

However, there exists the grisly possibility that many more perished.

“We don’t know if there are people buried deep down under accumulated ash,” a senior police official told the Asahi.

Volcanic tremors have been detected constantly since Saturday’s eruption, with underground water boiling into steam and breaking or moving rocks, a vulcanologist at the meteorological agency said.

The agency warned that smoke had been seen issuing from the volcano as of 9am local time on Wednesday (1000 AEST).

Until Wednesday the single biggest death toll from a volcano was 43 when Mount Unzen erupted in southwestern Japan in 1991.

Stay informed, daily
A FREE subscription to The New Daily arrives every morning and evening.
The New Daily is a trusted source of national news and information and is provided free for all Australians. Read our editorial charter
Copyright © 2024 The New Daily.
All rights reserved.